Rhiannon Bomford

Citizens have the potential to influence their environment and the amenities that are included in it for theirs and others enjoyment, a diverse range of people affect how these choices are made and managed (Reynolds, 2014). Through learning in Geography students explore and study places, both near and far. It is through the study of place that affects our thinking of contemporary issues; the need for inclusive environments within communities is certainly this (Cresswell, 2008).

This integrated learning experience between Geography and Citizenship education looks for students to investigate their local communities amenities and whether or not they meet the needs of all young people within the community and its surrounds (Gilbert & Hoepper, 2014). Year 5 students will be required to explore who makes decisions in the community, the different views people may have and how they can make these heard (ACHGK029) (Australian Curriculum and Reporting Authority [ACARA], 2015).

In a group discussion students will be posed with the question: The play grounds in Burnie, can every person play on them? Do they allow the opportunity for everyone to be included? Students’ thoughts will be recorded.
Images of different playgrounds situated around the North West coast, mainland Australia and from over seas will be shown to students (both printed and on the interactive whiteboard (IW)).

– Discuss what they see including: what’s different, what’s the same, and what do they notice about the people in them?

Show students this news report

Explain that some pictures show ‘inclusive playgrounds’ (IP) and some playgrounds that are less inclusive. Along the NW Coast there are IP’s at Ulverstone and Devonport. Students will be asked about their experiences with IPs.

In groups, students will sort which playgrounds they think are more inclusive and which ones they think are less; then compare, discuss and share two points with the class.

The teacher will read out and display on the IW one question at a time (below), groups will be given time to deliberate, then a group will be called on to provide their answer. Some possible questions will include:
– Should we have an IP?
– Is it important to have an IP in every town? Why/why not
– Does not having one in our local area meet the needs of people within our local and wider community?
– What advantages/disadvantages to people, children and their families does having an inclusive playground pose?

Groups will research IP designs (provided with appropriate links); the group will then divide. Half will design a playground incorporating elements they found from research and ideas they had. Students are encouraged to be imaginative and creative in their choices. The other half will draft a letter to the council expressing the need for an IP to be implemented in Burnie – the letter should include advantages to both the individual and the community, information about the playground they have designed and outline at least two special features.

From engagement in activities that occur in the students’ local environment students interact with ‘place’; this interaction helps to foster an appreciation of their surroundings and leads to involvement within the community (Beames, Higgins & Nicol, 2012).

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4 thoughts on “Geography”

Hey Cobber,
I like the influence that the CCE has on your activity, it turns the activity from mundane to an activity that allows students to influence their local community. The initial questions allow for conversations to also touch on empathy as well as the geography and CCE that is evident. The Geography content descriptor you highlighted has an elaboration about ‘zoning’ you could incorporate this into the activity where students write a letter to the council. They could identify a good place for the proposed playground and offer justification for their suggestion. I like that in the groups half will design the playground and half will write a letter to council, this allows students to be assigned roles eg, designer/drawer, scribe etc. hopefully this will allow all students to be engaged for the entire project. Good job

Hi Rhiannon,
You have a really strong post here and I have struggled to think of advice. I love the idea and think it is extremely valuable for students to consider. The use of group work will really enhance the students work simply through the variety of experiences each student will bring.
You may be able to get a student or adult with a disability into the classroom and them to talk about how the playgrounds around are inaccessible for them to play in. There may also be a picture book which will suit if a real person is not appropriate or available. This will give all of the students someone real to consider when designing their playground.
In regards to assessment, the students could self assess their work.
The students could write down all the things they think ‘inclusive playground’ means to them and at the end of the lesson/unit they could go back and look and write again all they know about inclusive playgrounds now. They could then share their new found knowledge with a partner, small group or class and have a discussion (perhaps with prompts) on how their perceptions have changed.
Overall it is a brilliant idea and something many of the students may not have thought about before.
Best of luck with the rest of your assignment,
Erin

Great central idea. Management and design of ‘spaces’ is legitimate Geography (and probably where you should finish rather than your bland finale here). How sensory are local IPs? (Sounds, Texture/Touch, even smells (linked planting). Good to build on your inclusion unit. You could get some mapping of spaces going on (aerial, 3D)
Too many communication errors for comfort – e.g. First and third sentences, posed with (?); missing apostrophe (communities’) – some tidying needed.
Peter

Hi Rhiannon,
Firstly, a few things with regard to structure and grammar – think about changing the structure of the post to lead with your idea. Instead of defining citizenship and geography, perhaps tell the reader your project first, as it will make the post more engaging. The first sentence of the first paragraph should say “their” not “theirs” and should end where the comma is. The Reynolds reference is your second sentence. The final sentence in this paragraph needs to be rephrased – maybe try something along the lines of “Studies of place affect the way we think about contemporary issues. (How, though?) Inclusive environments within the wider community fit within this”. First sentence of the second paragraph should say “looks at” or “involves” rather than “looks for”.
Whilst I think talking about inclusive environments is important and a good idea for the classroom, you need to provide scope for students to disagree with your ideas and ways for them to articulate this. I have noticed now that this is included further down in your post, but I would be putting this at the very start of the project, perhaps with a discussion around what inclusion means for the students. Give students the opportunity to discuss and get their heads around the concept before you introduce the playgrounds. The learning will be more authentic that way.
I like the idea of the students designing an inclusive playground. However, when you start telling students what they need to draft a letter to the council about, you run the risk of dictating to students and forcing your opinions on them. What if they don’t agree with you? What if they have other ideas of what they can do to take action on this? Maybe look at this aspect of the activity again.
Perhaps consider a table for curriculum links, as you will be able to include a lot of these, including Maths, Design and Technology and English.
Overall, I think your blog has potential, and I like the idea of using inclusion as your topic, as it is very important to or society as a whole.
Kind regards,
Koby